What brand of salt to use?

Hi all. I just read the "S-15 Report" at http://www.aquacraft.net/s9910.html

This is truly shocking stuff. I've been using Instant O. for years and
Coralife only to find out they're not so good based on the S-15 report. I
tried to find online retail sources of the top three ranked salts (Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine) and couldn't. Anyone got any
recommendations?

Mandarin333 wrote:
Hi all. I just read the "S-15 Report" at http://www.aquacraft.net/s9910.html

This is truly shocking stuff. I've been using Instant O. for years and
Coralife only to find out they're not so good based on the S-15 report. I
tried to find online retail sources of the top three ranked salts (Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine) and couldn't. Anyone got any
recommendations?

I buy Bio-Sea MarineMix from these guys:
http://www.northcoastmarines.com/salt.htm

I've never had any problems when ordering from them.

Eric
http://www.atreis.com/

Subject: What brand of salt to use?
From: Eric
Date: 7/4/04 10:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id:

Mandarin333 wrote:
Hi all. I just read the "S-15 Report" at
http://www.aquacraft.net/s9910.html

This is truly shocking stuff. I've been using Instant O. for years and
Coralife only to find out they're not so good based on the S-15 report.
I
tried to find online retail sources of the top three ranked salts (Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine) and couldn't. Anyone got any
recommendations?

I buy Bio-Sea MarineMix from these guys:
http://www.northcoastmarines.com/salt.htm

I've never had any problems when ordering from them.

Eric

Thanks alot.

-M333

"Mandarin333" wrote in message ...
Hi all. I just read the "S-15 Report" at http://www.aquacraft.net/s9910.html

This is truly shocking stuff. I've been using Instant O. for years and
Coralife only to find out they're not so good based on the S-15 report.

Have you got any problems you can blame bad salt for?

I tried to find online retail sources of the top three ranked salts (Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine) and couldn't. Anyone got any
recommendations?

I am looking at the webpage you have linked here and it is hard to believe
Instant Ocean got so bad score. Looking at score system we see that it got
only 26 points, while it has uniform particle size, it mixes to proper pH
and it contains all proper amounts of sea water ions... Only these three
could get to level 40 points... What is the detail behind the score presented?
Have you seen full report grading these salts? I am interested to see what
is the reason behind deciding "uniform particle size" has importance 10,
as the content of calcium and strontium, which you have to dose between
water changes anyway to maintain the calcium levels constant...

I would not change anything in my tank based on such "test" - you can
always compile data in such way one salt will look good and another bad.
This is not science. This is bad marketing... Who paid for the test? :-)

I know many successful reefers using Instant Ocean, I know none
using BIO-SEA or Marine Environment... I will go with Instant Ocean :-)

Yep IO has been a staple for a very long time.
If there is a problem with it it would have shown up in the millions of
litres of it currently pumping through folks reefs.
MAybe there are better salts out there on paper but IMO IO salt has
proved itself more so than any other brand in the market place. It's
used globally.
I use a knock off of it that is produced locally and this has kept my
reefs happy for long enough that I trust it.
The alk level is low on mixing but some quick adjustments ( a few
teaspoons of baking soda) and it's good to go.
Simon

Pszemol wrote:

"Mandarin333" wrote in message ...


Hi all. I just read the "S-15 Report" at http://www.aquacraft.net/s9910.html

This is truly shocking stuff. I've been using Instant O. for years and
Coralife only to find out they're not so good based on the S-15 report.



Have you got any problems you can blame bad salt for?



I tried to find online retail sources of the top three ranked salts (Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine) and couldn't. Anyone got any
recommendations?



I am looking at the webpage you have linked here and it is hard to believe
Instant Ocean got so bad score. Looking at score system we see that it got
only 26 points, while it has uniform particle size, it mixes to proper pH
and it contains all proper amounts of sea water ions... Only these three
could get to level 40 points... What is the detail behind the score presented?
Have you seen full report grading these salts? I am interested to see what
is the reason behind deciding "uniform particle size" has importance 10,
as the content of calcium and strontium, which you have to dose between
water changes anyway to maintain the calcium levels constant...

I would not change anything in my tank based on such "test" - you can
always compile data in such way one salt will look good and another bad.
This is not science. This is bad marketing... Who paid for the test? :-)

I know many successful reefers using Instant Ocean, I know none
using BIO-SEA or Marine Environment... I will go with Instant Ocean :-)

A few months ago, I would have posted the exact same thing, but I have switched
to Oceanic salt, and I am very happy with the results. Much better CA, and alk
levels. disolves much faster/more clearly, no precipitate left like the IO
leaves behind, no faded corals like the bio-assay left. Oceabnic still comes in
a 200 gal mix bucket, where the IO 200 gal mix is now 4 seperate 50 gal
bagsthat are tossed into a box.

Yep IO has been a staple for a very long time.
If there is a problem with it it would have shown up in the millions of
litres of it currently pumping through folks reefs.
MAybe there are better salts out there on paper but IMO IO salt has
proved itself more so than any other brand in the market place. It's
used globally.
I use a knock off of it that is produced locally and this has kept my
reefs happy for long enough that I trust it.
The alk level is low on mixing but some quick adjustments ( a few
teaspoons of baking soda) and it's good to go.
Simon

If you go to their Order Page you'll find they only sell Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine which just happen to be the top rated
ones in the report. Coincidence or bias? You can get a survey/report to say
anything you want. I blew this one off months ago simply because of the
obvious predjudice.
Dan


"Mandarin333" wrote in message
...
Hi all. I just read the "S-15 Report" at
http://www.aquacraft.net/s9910.html

This is truly shocking stuff. I've been using Instant O. for years and
Coralife only to find out they're not so good based on the S-15 report. I
tried to find online retail sources of the top three ranked salts (Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine) and couldn't. Anyone got any
recommendations?

"Rod" wrote in message ...
A few months ago, I would have posted the exact same thing, but I have switched
to Oceanic salt, and I am very happy with the results. Much better CA, and alk
levels. disolves much faster/more clearly, no precipitate left like the IO
leaves behind, no faded corals like the bio-assay left.

Rod, do you dose CA/Alk between water changes?
Or you rely on Ca/Alk levels in the salt mix entirely?
If you dose them anyway, like I think you do, why is it so important?

Oceabnic still comes in a 200 gal mix bucket, where the IO 200 gal mix
is now 4 seperate 50 gal bagsthat are tossed into a box.

This last one could be a good thing...
Especially if you do not use up whole bucket at once.
The rest of salt remains sealed for the time you use it.

Why do you think it is bad thing? I would like it...
Anyway, I heard IO is now in 150 gallons mix buckets.
Am I wrong or they stop making 200 g mix buckets?

Anyway - anybody have seen full S-15 report and knows details?

Dan Norgard wrote:
If you go to their Order Page you'll find they only sell Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine which just happen to be the top rated
ones in the report. Coincidence or bias? You can get a survey/report to say
anything you want. I blew this one off months ago simply because of the
obvious predjudice.
Dan

Actually, one could read this either way. They might sell these brands
because they can make more profit on them, and the report was biased
towards the brands that they could make more profit on.

An alternative could be that they did the study, then started selling
the brands that came out on top because they're the brands that came out
on top.

One can't assume one over the other without more evidence.

I use Bio-Sea MarineMix, but I don't buy it from these folks. I'm very
happy with it, but one can find people that are happy and unhappy with
any brand of salt. Bio-Sea costs about the same as IO. (IMO, the cost
of salt is so small compared with the cost of just about everything else
with a reef tank that the cost difference between brands is insignificant.)

BTW... I've only tried two brands of salt. Crystal Sea and Bio-Sea.
The former took substantially longer to dissolve and left behind a
residue, so I stuck with the Bio-Sea. I've not tried IO or any other brand.

Enjoy your tank, regardless of salt brand.

Eric
http://www.atreis.com

On 04 Jul 2004 03:07:59 GMT, (Mandarin333) wrote:

Hi all. I just read the "S-15 Report" at http://www.aquacraft.net/s9910.html

This is truly shocking stuff. I've been using Instant O. for years and
Coralife only to find out they're not so good based on the S-15 report. I
tried to find online retail sources of the top three ranked salts (Marine
Environment, BioSea, and Coral Marine) and couldn't. Anyone got any
recommendations?

Hello Mandarin333,

As the other posters have said, there seems to be a commercial profit
motive behind the Report. This is disgraceful, but it isn't the first
time that it has happened.
Use the salt you are happiest with. Probably each salt has pluses and
minuses. If something as amiss with your setup, the cause will
probably lie elsewhere than the saltmix.

Regards, Fishnut.